Schwarber leaves Cubs game after ‘tweaking’ left knee on throw

PEORIA, Ariz. – Slugger Kyle Schwarber is expected to be sidelined for at least a few days after hurting his left knee on a play in left field early in Thursday’s spring training game against the Seattle Mariners.

“I don’t think it’ll be anything significant,” said Schwarber, who said he “tweaked” his knee when he landed, following through on a throw to the plate in the bottom of the second inning.

He stayed in the game and batted in the top of the third, popping up to second, then left the game.

“I took the at-bat and just didn’t feel good, so I came in to make sure to get it taken care of,” said Schwarber, who added after icing the injury that “it feels better now. Better than what happened out there.”

Schwarber’s one-hop throw to the plate in that single in the second beat the runner but skipped off catcher David Ross’s mitt for one of three Cub errors in the inning.

Schwarber, who is to be evaluated again Friday, has spent the spring practicing and playing both left field and behind the plate. But he insists the heavy workload did not contribute to the injury on the routine play.

“I definitely feel like I’ve been balancing out the work pretty well, so definitely not overuse,” he said. “It just happens. It’s part of the game. I’ve got to let it rest for a little bit and get right back in the mix.”